balkanization

plural balkanizations

1. countableuncountableAlternative letter-case form of Balkanization.

   Evening newscasts speak of a country on the verge of balkanization.

   2007 September 18, Simon Romero, “A Radical Gives Bolivia Some Stability”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 14 Mar 2021

   1 more example

   TV is the mass medium now, and balkanization has hit the newspaper industry.

   1988 October 14, Michael Miner, “Local Paper Does Good; Quayle Watching”, in Chicago Reader

plural Balkanizations · alternative balkanization · alternative Balkanisation

1. countablehistoricaluncountablepolitical scienceThe fragmentation of a geopolitical region into several small states that are often hostile or non-cooperative with each other.
2. broadlycountableinformaluncountableAny disintegration or fragmentation process.

   demographic balkanization

   2 more examples

   Issues that are already hotly contested become even more divisive in the context of social balkanization.

   2002, Carol M. Swain, The New White Nationalism in America, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 94

   In other words, will the biometric future feature biometric centralization whereby one biometric would dominate multiple applications, or will we see biometric balkanization where multiple biometrics are used for multiple applications?

   2006, Anil K. Jain, Ruud Bolle, Sharath Pankanti, Biometrics: Personal Identification in Networked Society, Springer Science & Business Media, →ISBN, page 401

   Synonyms: fragmentation